The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1) Paperback | Pages: 416 pages

Describe Regarding Books The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1)

Title	:	The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1)
Author	:	David Morrell
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Anniversary Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 416 pages
Published	:	July 16th 1992 by Headline Book Publishing (first published 1983)
Categories	:	Thriller. Fiction. Mystery. Spy Thriller. Espionage. Mystery Thriller

Narrative In Favor Of Books The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1)

”In Greek mythology, the god of love once offered a rose to the god of silence, as a bribe, to keep that god from disclosing the weaknesses of the other gods. In time, the rose became the symbol for silence and secrecy. In the Middle ages, a rose was customarily suspended from the ceiling of a council chamber. The members of the council pledged themselves not to reveal what they discussed in the room, sub rosa under the rose.”

There once were two boys named Romulus and Remus, not the two founders of Rome, but two boys who found each other in an orphanage in Pennsylvania. They became closer than brothers. Isn’t that the case with many of us, finding our close friends to be more our brothers and sisters than our own flesh and blood? Chris (Remus) is visited periodically by a gray faced man named Eliot who starts every visit by extending a Baby Ruth candy bar. In an orphanage you are more likely to find a bar of gold than a bar of chocolate. He takes Chris on backpacking trips and fishing trips. Soon Saul (Romulus) joins them. As they grow up their foster father suggests certain activities for them such as Karate. When they are old enough he suggests they join the military. They are sent to Vietnam.

Suggestions from Eliot are the same as commands.

They don’t know it until later, but Eliot has several pairs of orphaned boys from various cities. Castor and Pollux, Cadmus and Cilix, Amphion and Zethus, Butes and Erectheus, and Atlas and Prometheus. They are all trained to be operatives for a shadowy sector of the CIA. The reverence they all show for Eliot borders on worship.

Eliot is also part of a national coalition of spies that formed a system called the Abelard Sanctuary. "I had come there as a fugitive and, in the depths of my despair, was granted some comfort by the grace of God.” Peter Abélard (1079-1142) was a brilliant rising star of theology, philosophy, and logician who fell in love with the scholar of classical letters Héloïse. They are secretly married to appease her uncle, but when he announces the marriage publicly it is denied by the couple. The Uncle is sure that Abélard is up to no good so he hires some thugs to pay him a visit.

They castrate him.

The letters of longing between Abélard and Héloïse become some of the most famous love letters of all time and forever immortalized the couple among the most legendary of doomed lovers rivaled only by Shakespeare’s creation of Romeo and Juliet. Abélard becomes a monk, but has difficulties with the monastery system and eventually retires to a chapel at Paraclete. He went there seeking sanctuary. If he wished to remain anonymous or forgotten it did not work. Students appeared living in tents around the chapel and soon he is teaching once again.

The coalition of spies from all over the world find that there are times when they need sanctuary. They reach an agreement to place these Abelard Sanctuaries strategically all over the world. For those that have seen the recent movie John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves, the hotel in the movie is based on the same concept as an Abelard Sanctuary. No one is allowed to kill within the walls of sanctuary. If someone breaks the truce all of the nations participating are forced by the rules of the contract to do their best to execute the killer. It is a place where enemies can mingle without fear.

Everything is going fine until Saul is ordered to blow up a close friend of the President of the United States. The assassination was made to look like the Israelis for political reasons. When Saul goes to his designated safe house some men are there to try to kill him.

He has been blacklisted.

His first thought is to call his foster father, but that was the source of the safe house location. Is it possible that the person he revers most in the world could be wanting to kill him?

Saul is forced on the run for his life. He meets up with Chris and between the two of them they come up with a plan of survival. Betrayals begat betrayals and soon all that they think they believe in is suddenly nothing more than an enigma of deception. To survive they will have to embrace revenge.

The pacing of the novel is excellent. It is certainly a page turner. David Morrell is an old hand at deftly keeping the plot from faltering. The secrecy attributed to the rose becomes an obsession for many of the Abelard Sanctuary group. Many of them begin cultivating them as a hobby, all becoming as bewitched by their beauty as the Dutch were about tulips in the 17th century. Some reviewers have found the sanctuary concept, a truce between foes, to be verging on science fiction, but for me it makes sense. The men and women who work behind the cloak of secrecy have much more in common with each other than they do with the countries they call home. By the definition of their careers they are lonely people, cut off from their families and friends, and reluctant to form relationships that could in the end compromise them. Sometimes your enemy knows you best and with them there are no pretenses about the job.

My favorite David Morrell so far is: Murder As a Fine Art a book about Thomas De Quincey the famous British Opium Eater. The second book with De Quincey is scheduled to release in March. Murder as a Fine Art Review

Declare Books To The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1)

Original Title:	The Brotherhood of the Rose
ISBN:	0747238901 (ISBN13: 9780747238904)
Edition Language:	English
Series:	Mortalis #1

Rating Regarding Books The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1)

Ratings: 4.14 From 6342 Users | 224 Reviews

Rate Regarding Books The Brotherhood of the Rose (Mortalis #1)

One of my favorite writers from a few years ago. David Morrell is (was?) the king of conspiracies (from "a few years ago"). This is the poster child...two orphans raised from a very early age to be part of a group of ultra loyal assassins.This one stayed with me and it's the one that sent me off finding other books by the author. The characters in this book are very well drawn (one more so than the other I believe) and will create in you a strange sympathy (for the boys...all the boys).There was

I'm really glad I reread this. It's been too long & I'd forgotten many of the details. Morrell does a great job spinning conspiracy theories together into an action packed, but quite believable adventure. If you like "The Black List" on TV (the 1st season) you'll love this book. I reread for Action/Adventure Aficionados group April 2016https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...Morrell's writing is tight and the characters are well drawn. The conspiracies are deep, but easy to believe. Eliot is

Another excellent book by MorrellThis book was a real pioneer in the genre of espionage thrillers. It's smart, fast-paced, and just a great introduction to the character of Saul, The character the even today I believe would make a great hero for the big screen. David Morrell has done an interesting thing in the way it's in pairs then a violence with secret religious orders. There is a strong sense of grace in this book for even men that have committed unforgivable crimes. It's deeper than your

A solid beginning is wasted by this story that goes over the world and gets nowhere. Even the ending is incomplete. 1 of 10 stars

This is one of the greatest spy novels I read. I read it a long time ago and forgot its title. Thank God for Google Book Search. My search words were Baby Ruth and orphanage. Aaah, such sweet feeling, finding it out again.

This book drags me along like a little girl drags a rag doll down the street. The doll ain't getting away. Sometimes the girl shakes the doll or pulls it through the mud. Maybe a dog tries to wrench it away from her, but she wins the tug of war. Likewise, this book pulls me through a rocky adventure. I'm happy to be dragged along. If you crave adventure stories, you might also try The Golden Catch, a thriller/adventure novel where the action unfolds in the stormy Aleutian Islands. Roger Weston,

If you are a reader who loves taut, suspenseful spy thrillers from the cold war era with a good dose of plot twists and turns then you will definitely love The Brotherhood of the Rose. Written by David Morrell - the man who created the legendary character John Rambo - this classic espionage thriller, which is the first book in a trilogy, is full of spies, killers, trade-craft and high-octane action spread across locations all over the globe. The author is a master in controlling the suspense